Former Sheriff David Clarke To Face Trial For His Threats

Here’s what this lawsuit is all about.

David Clarke crossed a line and must now appear for a trial on Jan. 22 after posting threatening Facebook messages directed at a man he encountered last year at an airport, the Huffington Post reported.

Clarke’s posts could “reasonably be understood as a threat, coercion, or intimidation that punishment … will immediately follow,” U.S. District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller ruled on Friday while dismissing most of Daniel Black’s civil rights lawsuit.

Here’s the backstory. The two men were on the same flight to Milwaukee. Black asked the sheriff if was David Clarke. He nodded yes, and Black shook his head disparagingly and walked away. Clarke felt disrespected and asked six of his deputies to have a talk with Black after the plane landed. Black posted on social media about the incident and filed a complaint with county officials before filing a lawsuit. It alleged that Clarke violated his Fourth Amendment right (unreasonable seizure by the deputies) in retaliation for exercising his First Amendment right (the free speech of shaking his head at the sheriff) and deprived him of due process under the 14th Amendment. The judge threw out most of Black’s lawsuit, noting in part that being questioned by the deputies may have been unpleasant but wasn’t really a seizure.

Clarke, however, may have crossed a line when he posted threatening message against Black, which could constitute intimidation, the judge said. The former sheriff wrote this in one of the posts: “Cheer up, snowflake … if Sheriff Clarke were to really harass you, you wouldn’t be around to whine about it.” Another post said that if anyone “pulls this stunt on a plane they may get knocked out.” Those threats could have violated Black’s free speech rights. It will be up to a jury to decide.

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Continue reading In Honor Of Barack H. Obama Highway, Here Are Photos That Will Make You Miss Your Favorite President

In Honor Of Barack H. Obama Highway, Here Are Photos That Will Make You Miss Your Favorite President

The people of Los Angeles are blessed to have President Barack H. Obama Highway as of yesterday. The Mercury News reports, "Two large, green-and-white freeway signs were unveiled Thursday, one on the right shoulder of westbound State Route 134 at the beginning of the 210 Freeway at Fair Oaks Avenue in Pasadena, the other at the eastbound 134 in the vicinity of Route 2 in the city of Los Angeles near Glendale."
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The location was chosen because he attended Occidental College in nearby Eagle Rock from 1979-1981 when he lived in Pasadena. State Sen. Anthony Portantino said about the highway, “The president has often mentioned his fond memories of living in Pasadena and attending Occidental College, so it was very appropriate to name the portion of the freeway he traveled after him."
Mercury News confirmed, "No taxpayer dollars were used to build or erect the signs, Bischoff confirmed, adding that the cost of the two signs and labor amounted to about $5,000 and were paid for by private donations."
While this happened, something else trended -- #TrumpResign. Yep, while people were celebrating Obama, others were asking for Trump to get off the highway of the presidency.
All of this makes us miss Obama, so we had to revisit these collection of photos to reflect when we had a man of decency in the White House.